Improvement in railway-car brakes



A. H LIGHTHALL.

Gar Brake.

Patented May10,1870. Jz/J.

PETERS PTO-UTNOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

dilated tant ALMERIA' u'. LIGHTHALL, orfALBANY, NEW YORK.

Letters Patent N 102,840, lated llay 10, 1570.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY-CAR BRAKES.

The Schedule referred to in these'Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALMERIN H. l'aon'rimnm of Albany, in the county `ot' Albany and State ot' New York, have invented a new and usel'ul Improvement in Gar-Brakes; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and'use the same, reference being had to the aecompanying drawings forming part; ot' this speeitication.

This invention relates to improvements in carbrakes, and consists in an improved arrangement of spring-actuated' ear-brakes, and means for tripping the vsprings by the act of pulling the bell-rope.

Figure l is a plan of the frame ot a ear-truck with my improvements applied, and horizontal sections of some ot' the parts.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same, also with some, parts sectioned.

Figure 3 is a detail view ot' part of the guide for the cord.

Similar letters of' reference indicate eorrespomling parts. A

A and Al represent thc brake-levers, attached to the brak-es A2, of ordinary construction, for applying or releasing them by moving back and forth.

They are connected b v a rod or chain, B, to the rod C, having a strong spiral spring, D, fixed upon it, andv both arranged in a cylindrical ease, E, attached to the platform, and arranged to draw the lever A towzd the front beam F for applying the brakes.

The rod (l carries a dsk,G, at one end, between which and the cylinder-head, at the other end, the spring is confined, so as to be contracted when the rod is drawn out.

1I is an elastic cushion, behind the disk G, against which the said disk strikes when the spring flies back, for softening thel shock.

The rod (l is connected to a chain, I, working over the pulley K, and attached to the winding shaft L, extending. to t-he front of the platform, and having a pinion, M', gearing with tho large wheel N, having a ratchet disk, O, attached for turning by a lever, 1)

and pawl (e, for winding up the chain.

R is a spring, actuated, holding, and tripping pawl, engaging the teeth of the ratchet-wheel for holding it.

Said pawl is connected by the trip-lever S with a Y cord, u, leading to the bell-rope, and so arranged that when the latter is pulled, the tripping-paw! will be disengaged from the wheel O, thus alhlwing the spring D, which is contracted by the winding shaft L and chain I, to fly back to the position represented in the dra-wing.

T is a spring, or it may be any other suitable device, for catching behind the lever S to hold the pawl .It out of' contact with the wheel O, when required.A

It is pulled out to trip the lever S by astnd, T', the said stud T being pulled by hand.

The pawl Q is disengaged from the wheel O,at'ter the chain is wound up to set the spring, so that it'wll not obstruct the unwinding of thechain.

' The winding up ofthe chain I to set thel spring re-4 leases the brake from the wheel. v

Y is a chain, connecting theordinary brake-lever with the bral'tc-shaft W, for actuating the brake independently of the above-described apparatus.

The wheels N and 0,. and the holding and tripping pawl, are enclosed in a case, X, and a hollow guard` Y, is provided for the rope u.

Having thus described my invention,

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with the brake-levers, .of the spring D, winding-chain I, shaft L, operating wheels, lever, and pawl, holding and tripping pawl, and bellcord connection, all substantially as specitied.

2. The arrangement of the spring D, rod C, cylinder IE, disk (t, and spring H, allv substantially as specified..

3, The combination, with the ratchet-wheel and windingshai't, ofthe spring-actuated and holding and tripping pawl' R, tripping lever S, and bell-cord connection n, all substantially as specified.

4. VThe combination, with the lever S and pawl R, of the holding spring Il and stud T', substantially as specified.

The above specii'cation of my invention 'signed by me this 31st dafy ot' March, 1870.

ALMERIN Il. LIG IITHALL.A

Witnesses:

GEO. W. MA-nn, ALEX. F. Ronnnrs. 

